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In the News

At 1:36 AM on Saturday, December 2, the Senate passed H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by a vote of 51-49.

With this vote, the tax bill is at about the halfway mark to becoming law. Here's what's ahead:

The House and Senate must go to conference and produce a joint conference report.

Conference committees are set up when the House and Senate have passed two different versions of a bill. Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution requires that both chambers pass the exact same language before a bill can be presented for the President’s signature and become law.

How does a Conference work?

The House and Senate appointed conferees to negotiate the combined version (a conference report.)

A majority of House conferees and a majority of Senate conferees must sign the conference report.

How does Congress vote on conference reports?

Both the House and Senate must vote on the same version of the conference report.

The Senate will vote this week on the $36.5 billion House-passed disaster relief bill – H.R.2266, Emergency Supplemental – with a cloture vote on Monday and final passage on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The bill includes $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund, $16.0 billion for National Flood Insurance Program debt forgiveness, $1.2 billion for nutrition assistance and $576.5 million to address wildfires in the western United States.

In the House:

This week the House will take up the Senate-passed FY19 budget deal, including language setting up the process for tax reform via reconciliation.

Whats Up Washington

House is in at 3 for legislative business with first and last votes between 4:30 – 5:30 PM. Votes on:

S. 327: Fair Access to Investment Research Act of 2017
Sponsor: Sen. Dean Heller[R, NV]Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish and implement a "safe harbor" for reports on ETF funds

H.R. 3229: To protect the safety of judges by extending the authority of the Judicial Conference to redact sensitive information contained in their financial disclosure reports
Sponsor: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries[D, NY-8]

H.Res. 311: Recognizing that for 50 years the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has worked toward stability, prosperity, and peace in Southeast Asia
Sponsor: Rep. Joaquin Castro[D, TX-20]

Whats Up Washington

House is in at 10 AM for morning hour, noon for legislative business. First votes between 1:15 – 2:15 PM, last votes between 4 – 5 PM. Vote on Smith bill to reauthorize theMaternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV).

H.Res. 311: Recognizing that for 50 years the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has worked toward stability, prosperity, and peace in Southeast Asia
Sponsor: Rep. Joaquin Castro[D, TX-20]

S. 1141: Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017
Sponsor: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen[D, NH]Requires the President to develop a strategy to promote the participation of women abroad in conflict prevention, management, resolution, and recovery.

Weekly Update

All eyes were on inter-GOP negotiations in the Senate on the Graham-Cassidy amendment to the House health bill. With statements of opposition from two key GOP senators, the amendment appears on shaky ground; losing one more Republican vote would doom it.

This week: the Senate will take its last shot on health care before reconciliation authority (allowing a vote without the 60-vote filibuster) expires September 30.

House will vote on bills to reauthorize the FAA, tax preferences for those in hurricane recovery zones, and reauthorize information and human rights program targeting North Korea.

Weekly Recap

Last week, Republican leaders went all-in on the Graham-Cassidy amendment.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he plans to bring the bill up for a vote on the Senate floor Wednesday. Republicans dropped the bipartisan effort to shore up insurance markets that had been progressing in the Senate HELP Committee.